SAD delegation meets governor, seeks CBI probe into Patiala clash
CHANDIGARH : The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on Thursday urged Punjab governor Banwarilal Purohit to direct the state government to annul the “unconstitutional” knowledgesharing agreement with the Delhi government. The party also demanded a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the Patiala clash, which it termed as a deep-rooted conspiracy to disturb peace and communal harmony in Punjab.
A party delegation led by its president Sukhbir Singh Badal met the governor in Chandigarh and sought action against chief minister Bhagwant Mann and his ministers for violating the oath of secrecy by signing away control of the state to the Delhi government, adding the agreement signed is against the spirit of federalism. Asserting that it was for the first time in the history of the country that an elected state had ceded its administration to another state, the SAD delegation urged the governor to direct the Punjab government not to allow the Delhi government to interfere in its internal affairs. “No official file should be sent to Delhi for perusal,” according to a memorandum submitted by the SAD.
Sukhbir apprised the governor about the recent clash in Patiala, which according to him could have been averted, but the CM refused to take any action to avoid it despite having intelligence inputs.
Asserting that there seemed to be a deep-rooted conspiracy to divert the attention from the failures of the AAP government through such actions, Sukhbir said it was even more disconcerting that instead of taking action against the main conspirators, the AAP government tried to turn it into a fight between two political parties.